In Any Other World
by DramaQueen1133
Summary: With his human counterpart supposedly dead, Rose resumed travelling with her Doctor. Leaving her family behind in a parallel universe is hard enough, but with a devastating prophecy following every move they make will their relationship survive?
1. Prologue

**A/N: The first few chapters of this have already been written so you're guaranteed a few updates quite promptly. In the meantime I will try to get it finished ahead of time. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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"Come on!" Rose pulled on the sleeve of the blue suit, urging the Doctor to follow her. He resisted.

"I can't let him get away. He'll come back and you and the Doctor will be the first people he'll look for." Rose frowned at him, gesturing wildly to the flames that were slowly engulfing them.

"Doctor, look at this! There is no way he could survive this-"

"He's done it before." The flames illuminated a darkness in his eyes that Rose had not seen since he regenerated. It was like her old Doctor was staring her in the face. It was disturbing but somehow...comforting.

"Doctor, please, come on-"Her pleas were muffled as he pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was fierce and passionate; it left her gasping for air when they parted. Even though the wall of scarlet and amber was slowly crawling nearer, Rose couldn't help but feel hazy from the kiss.

"I would never forgive myself if I didn't do that at least once." He sent her a small smile that she automatically returned.

"Please, come back with me." She urged one last time, hands clutching at his fingers. He only threw her a tender look.

"I just want you safe." Before she had a chance to speak again, he disappeared into the flames.

"Doctor, wait!" Rose kept trying to step forwards and penetrate the fortress of fire, but each movement forwards sent a searing heat all too close to her skin. Somewhere on her person she could smell something burning.

"Rose, come on, we have to leave." Her brown suited Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her towards the TARDIS. Even in his urgency he was gentle with her.

"No, the Doctor...you! He's in there, he went after Davros. We need to get him out!" She struggled in his grip, but he was stronger than her. He paused only for a second as he regarded the flames his counterpart had disappeared into. He made up his mind as a metal beam fell from the ceiling and landed before them in a pile of burning scrap.

"It's too late for him, Rose. We need to go." Despite her cries of protest, the Doctor dragged her to the ship. He flung the door open and pulled her inside, running to the control panel to put the ship in flight before Rose could even blink.

"No!" Rose pounded on the doors of the TARDIS even though she knew it was too late. She whirled around to face the Doctor who was staring at her with a solemn expression.

"You can't just leave him there, he's you!" She ran up the ramp towards him, footsteps clattering on the grated metal.

"He's gone, Rose. The whole place exploded. We go back now and we'll be caught in the middle of the blast." Her hands were fisted in the lapels of his suit, and with a gentle hand he removed them.

"But..."She threw another glance to the doors.

"We can't." Rose knew that she was fighting a lost cause. Everyone around them was silent, watching the exchange with a solemn air. Not wanting to face anyone, she buried her head in the Doctor's neck. Sensing her fragile state he wrapped his arms around her, trying to shield her from any harm that would befall her.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he contemplated staying that way forever. She would be safe like this, no one could touch her. It could happen. But the illusion was shattered when Rose stepped away with a little sniffle. Her fingers automatically found his however, and the Doctor pulled her closer.

"He died trying to protect you, Rose. That's a cause worth dying for." He whispered it to her, not wanting any of the other occupants to hear the tender moment. It was just them now. Like it always had been. It did not however, stop her auburn eyes filling with tears.

"I never wanted anyone to die for me." The Doctor had no answer to that; he just pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Come on. We need to send the Earth back home. Save the day. Shiver and shake?" Rose couldn't help but let out a laugh at his inane grin. He chucked her on the chin and pulled her to the console by his side.

They flew the TARDIS in silence, and somewhere in the back of her mind Rose registered that it was the smoothest flight she had ever been on. But her heart was still heavy with the thought of the blue suited Doctor, the human one, running to his death to save her. The thought made her head reel.

After a celebration of the Earth in its proper place, they dropped everyone home, one by one. She wasn't surprised when Mickey left. Their relationship had deteriorated in the other universe. Her determination to get back to the Doctor and his stubborn refusal to accept it had come to a head. He told her of his plans to go back to his own universe when they attempted to patch up their relationship. But it was beyond repair. She thought maybe in time they could go back to how it was. Well...she hoped.

Soon it was just her and her mother left with the Doctor and Donna.

"Last stop!" The Doctor called out, avoiding her eyes as he pulled a lever. A sinking feeling erupted in Rose's stomach as she regarded his closed off state. She knew what he was going to do. And there was no way that she would let him.

The TARDIS landed with a soft thud and Jackie walked briskly to the doors. The time apart from Tony and her husband must have been terrible for her Rose pondered. She followed behind her mother a bit more cautiously.

Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again as she the grey expanse of beach stretched out before her. Each grain of sand as miserable and foreboding as the last. Even the waves that lapped at the beach seemed to be telling her to go inside the TARDIS and never look back. But she had to say goodbye.

"Bloody Norway! His driving hasn't changed much." Jackie huffed as she pulled her phone from her pocket, frantically dialling her husband's number. The closing of the TARDIS door turned her around.

The Doctor and Donna had followed them out...and Rose didn't like the look he had in his eyes.

"This is the parallel universe." Rose said, her voice choking in her throat.

"You're back home." The word home felt like a slap in the face to her. After everything that she had done to be with him again. Donna was talking but Rose couldn't hear. Her eyes were fixed on the Doctor's.

"I'm gonna have to call Pete. He's on the nursery run. Do you remember? I was pregnant. A little boy. We called him Doctor." Jackie grinned to the Doctor, seemingly unaware of the tension between him and his daughter. For a moment a glimmer of real joy shone through his face.

"Really?" Jackie laughed.

"No. His name is Tony."

"Oh..." He ducked his head, a little too disappointed than he should be. Rose however, was still not paying attention to the joking around her.

"I'm not staying here." She said. The Doctor looked at her, uncertainty painted across his face.

"After all that time trying to find you I'm not just going to go back!" She cried, voice carrying for miles across the deserted beach.

"You have a good life here, Rose. You've got your mm and your dad...a little brother to watch grow up-"

"Nah, what you mean is that I'm safe here." The Doctor looked at her, eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"I know you, Doctor. I know what you're trying to do and I won't let you. You can't make decisions for me anymore, I won't let you." He was silent before a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you."

"That a bad thing?" She challenged.

"Not at all." He grinned at her now, his smile full of pride. Somewhere in the background she could hear her mum on the phone to her dad, there was something about a helicopter floating in the conversation. Suddenly a thought struck her. Something that she never thought about...perhaps because she didn't want to think about it.

"You don't want me to come." Rose whispered, eyes wide. Had he moved on that fast? She knew he had had that girl Martha with him, and now Donna...maybe he didn't care-

"Don't be stupid." Donna said it for him. Rose and the Doctor looked at her.

"I know what you're thinking now, ever since the metacrisis. You want her to come more than anything in the universe but you're too scared-"

"Donna." He bit out sharply, the word a warning. Rose swallowed, brushing the hair from her face.

"Do you want me to come, Doctor? And I'm asking you." She said pointedly, earning an apologetic nod from Donna. The Doctor glanced around; looking for any help that he knew wasn't coming. After a minute he turned back to Rose, defeated.

"Of course I do." He said quietly. Rose walked forwards, a hand reaching to entwine with his.

"Then why are you trying to send me away?" She whispered, her face close to his. She could count every little freckle smattered across his cheeks. He could see every perfect clump of mascara on her eyelashes. A little less than she used to use though.

"I don't want to take you away from your family. Not again." The guilty look in his eyes said enough. Donna had disappeared into the TARDIS and Jackie was talking on her phone a little way away. It was just them alone on the beach. It was a strange mirror of a day Rose would rather forget.

"I told you, I made my choice." Rose dared to place a hand against his face, fingertips rejoicing in the feeling of the slight stubble there. She had taken those little things for granted when she was with him before. The stubble that used to graze against her skin when he hugged her, the cold touch of his fingers, even the way he used to snore or leave toothpaste open. It was those things that she had missed the most. Not the travelling. Just him.

"Are you sure? This is it, Rose. If you go with me then you will never see them again. It'll be you and me. That's it." He spoke it like she was supposed t be disappointed with the thought. She gave a glance to her mother, laughing on the phone with Pete. Jackie was happy. She was safe.

"Mum's got everything she could ever want. She's happy. They don't need me anymore. And I need you. You're my choice every time, Doctor. Always have been." The Doctor had a look of acceptance on his face, but beyond that Rose could see the happiness radiating from him. It wasn't the same look he gave her the last time she chose him in Canary Wharf. This one filled her with hope instead of trepidation.

"Your wish is my command, Rose Tyler." Before she could help herself, Rose pressed a brief kiss to his lips. But he didn't freeze like she expected him to. He let her kiss him and if she wasn't mistaken, pushed back into the kiss ever so slightly. Releasing him from her hold, Rose ran to her mother to say goodbye.

As the Doctor watched the exchange between mother and daughter sadness overtook him. But not for Rose. For Donna. He knew what he had to do. Resentment for his human counterpart flooded through him until he reminded himself that if it wasn't for him then they would all most likely be dead.

He died for Rose. A noble death. With that thought in mind the Doctor sent a quiet thank you into the sky, hoping that he would somehow hear it.

He wasn't to know however, that his human counterpart was currently in a Dalek escape pod hurtling towards Earth.

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**A/N: Even though I've been oh so bad with the lack of updates please do review and let me know if there is still any interest for this to be continued! **


	2. Planet Of The Dead - Part 1

**A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, I really do appreciate it. **

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Rose looked across the blinking console to the Doctor, eyes following a droplet of water clinging to a bit of his hair.

It dropped, landing with a soft _plink_ on the grated floor.

"I'm sorry." She whispered carefully, as if the sound would physically hurt him. He drew in a long breath, eyes still fixed on the controls.

"I'm alright." Rose stepped forwards, shoes squelching wetly. Her hand gripped the console lightly, searching for some kind of comfort from the pulsing ship. The life force that was Donna Noble was gone...everything seemed a little quieter. Less bright.

"Are you though?" She stopped in front of him, brushing wet strands away from her slick skin.

The Doctor looked up as if seeing her for the first time. He closed the distance between them, a hand reaching out to smooth her hair behind her ear. He regarded her face for a moment, memorising every line and every blemish before a slow smile spread over his face.

"Yeah." And for once, Rose believed him.

She looked down at their clothes and frowned.

"We should probably change. Catch pneumonia or something like this." She unzipped her jacket and flung it across the metal supports by the door. The Doctor threw it a glance.

"I missed that, you know. Seeing your clothes flung everywhere. I don't know if I missed that or telling you off for it more." Rose swallowed, not wanting the dark mood to overtake them again. She quickly grabbed his hand with a smile.

"Yeah, well, plenty of chance for that. Come on. Let's take a shower." He raised an eyebrow and it took a moment for the meaning to sink in.

"I didn't mean together!" Rose quickly corrected, eyes wide. The Doctor smiled.

"Oh no, of course you didn't-"

"I wouldn't-"

"I know-"

"S'pretty embarrassing-"

"Yeah..." She cleared her throat and ducked her head, cheeks burning with her foolishness. A moment passed in silence.

"We'll be alright thought won't we, Doctor?" She said, still a bit embarrassed about meeting his eyes. He thread an arm around her shoulder, suit dampening further as he pressed her body to his.

"Of course we will." He started to lead them down one of the long corridors of the TARDIS, revelling in the sensations of having her by his side once more.

"I say we order a Chinese and pop in a DVD." The Doctor said casually as they walked along. Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"Look at you going all domestic on me." She beamed at him, leaning against him as they walked.

"Well, that's something I missed about you the most, Rose. All these little _human_ things you made me do. I missed them. And I think...I didn't realise how much I enjoyed them." Rose glanced up at him, a pretty little smile on her face.

"I think I've broken you in, Doctor. Like a little house cat." The Doctor grimaced.

"Still don't like cats." Rose rolled her eyes. The question of pets onboard the TARDIS was always a no go area.

"Hang on, order a Chinese? What address you gonna give them?" The Doctor's laughter rang through the halls and Rose joined it. It seemed as if nothing had

changed.

* * *

About a week later Rose climbed the stairs to the Powell Estates two at a time, footsteps echoing on the concrete steps. The Doctor wasn't far behind. It was the first time that Rose had seen her childhood home in years.

She had never grown use to the expanse of space that the Tyler Mansion offered her. It was too big. Too empty. But the now the sound of a distant police siren whizzing by and the thump of music in a flat on the top floor was the most beautiful noise that Rose had ever heard. The Doctor had made sure it was night when he took her to see the flat. Didn't want any nosy neighbours spotting a girl they thought long since dead.

She reached her door; the peeling paint shining with a radiance she had never noticed before. With a squeal of delight she waited until the Doctor brought out the key and unlocked it for her. Without a moment's hesitation she bounded in, stopping as took in the sight.

Everything was as it was. Every little thing was in the same place that it had been the day she left...that awful day...

It was strange.

"Why is everything the same? I thought that they would have sold it on or taken the stuff out or something...boarded it up at least. Why's it the same?" Rose turned to the Doctor, surprised to see his rather bashful look. He brushed past her, heading into the kitchen.

"I bought it." His voice was quiet. Rose paused for a moment.

"You...you bought it? Why?" She followed him into the kitchen, observing as he pulled two mugs from the cupboard. He didn't turn to look at her.

"I just...I couldn't bear the thought of people coming in here and touching your stuff...throwing everything away. Nah, couldn't let that happen." He flicked a spoon into the sink. Rose nodded, not pressing him. She hadn't really thought about how hard it would have been for him. She sent him a small smile that he couldn't see before walking over to her bedroom.

It was the same. Even smelt the same. Without a second thought she collapsed on her bed, breathing in the scent of her old life. As she did, she sat up straight. She could smell the Doctor. His hair products and chips and the earthy smell he always had around him. It was on her pillow as if he had only just been lying there.

As she regarded her room she noticed more and more things seemed rather strange. A drawer was open here and there that she didn't remember touching. A few clothes of hers were spread out on the dresser that she most certainly didn't put there. And there was fresh food and milk in the fridge...he was using it to make tea. Her heart dropped when she realised.

The Doctor had visited here after she left. Frequently by the looks of it.

She could feel her heart splintering as she all but ran into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. He almost spilt the tea. Placing the mugs down he returned the hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

"What's wrong? Eh?" He stroked a few golden strands back to see her face; he could see her eyes flooding slowly with tears.

"I just missed you so much. You know that, right?" The Doctor smiled.

"Of course I do. Missed you too." With a shaky breath Rose left his embrace, grabbing her cup.

"Let's watch a film, eh? Curl up on the sofa like old times."The Doctor pondered this course of action, taking a sip of his tea.

"Nah. Tell you what; let's go out on the town! Paint the city red or something to that effect." Rose set down her mug, giggling like a teenager once again.

"What, you mean like clubbing?" The Doctor scoffed.

"No, I mean like...let's see the sights! Eat dodgy food-"

"End up kissing complete strangers?" Rose echoed the phrase from a time long gone. The Doctor gave her a disapproving tut.

"You will be kissing no strangers thank you very much." The Doctor downed his last bit of tea and threw it in the sink.

"I can kiss whoever I like! You can't tell me otherwise." Only the twinkle in her eye betrayed her annoyed facade. She found the Doctor suddenly very close to her.

"Since I'm the Time Lord, extremely intelligent and charming, and above all your best friend in the entire world...I think you'll find that I can. Now get dressed." He turned Rose around and pushed her in the direction of her bedroom.

"You'll be sorry for that, you know." Rose called over her shoulder, laughter echoing down the hall.

* * *

"You're all talk." He called after her. The smile still lingered on his face as he opened the cupboard to find a packet of biscuits.

"What do you think?" Rose stepped out of the doorway shyly, tugging her dress down a bit. It was a plain black long sleeved dress. But it used to be one of her favourites. The skirts flared out at the hips and it was short enough to be casual. The Doctor beamed.

"You look gorgeous." She bit her lip at the comment. She hadn't had the chance to dress up like this in ages. Her mind was purely focused on work the moment she said goodbye to the Doctor in Norway. There was no time to play.

* * *

She smiled and took the hand he offered her. They ran all the way to the street.

A few hours later Rose found herself chewing on the Easter egg the Doctor had bought her, savouring the sweet chocolate.

"Oh God, I haven't had one of these in ages." She moaned as she swallowed. The Doctor laughed at her bliss. They were sitting at a bus stop near the centre of London. The night out on the town had led them to a local Tesco. The Doctor being the Doctor had seen that it was Easter and insisted they get eggs. Rose being Rose didn't object.

As he regarded her small frame shivering in the night air, the Doctor slipped off his jacket.

"Here." He placed it around Rose's shoulders. She smiled up at him and shuffled closer to his body, trying to conserve some heat.

"You should be careful you know, Doctor. People might think we're a couple."

"Oh, that's not so bad." He said simply, and Rose felt her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Yeah." The moment was cut short however, as a red bus stopped in front of them.

"Come on, this is us." Rose gave the Doctor her egg as she fished her Oyster card from her bag. She smirked as the Doctor swiped his psychic paper on the scanner and heard the resounding beep, tricking the machine. The Doctor grinned back at her as he bounded forwards, leading them upstairs. Once he found a suitable seat for them he pulled her down beside him.

A second later a frown settled upon his face.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Rose peered at him as he fished in his pockets. A woman across the aisle from them was looking at them with a curious alarm. Her heavy black fringe cast her eyes into darkness...Rose didn't like the look of her.

With a sigh the Doctor turned to her.

"Something tells me, Rose...our night out is about to be cut short."

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**A/N: Please do review, it keeps me inspired!**


	3. Planet Of The Dead - Part 2

Rose rolled her eyes. Of course. God forbid her one night of normality in her life. But then again, looking into the Doctor's eyes she couldn't help but smirk. That little glimmer of wanderlust was sparkling in them, anticipating the pump of adrenaline.

He continued to shuffle through his bottomless pockets, casting an apologetic look her way.

"Sorry, Rose. We can try again tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, Doctor. Life with you wouldn't be right without the eventual 'run for your life' situation." Rose smiled at him, brow creased just a little. Ever since she had been back it had seemed like the Doctor was trying desperately to please her. To keep her happy no matter what, even at his own expense.

Their first adventure together had been a holiday to the long promised Barcelona. The planet, not the country. Rose's air conditioning in her room had broken; leaving the bedroom in a sweltering heat that Rose swore made her make-up melt. The Doctor had marched her out of the room promptly to place her in his. She spent the night in the most luxurious bed that she had ever been in while the Doctor had curled up on the sofa. Even though she had insisted he join her, he was reluctant to 'disturb her' as he said.

And there it was. The thing that worried Rose the most. They flirted more than ever now she was back, the carefully built boundaries that they had both placed around their relationship before had crumbled and vanished. But even with this new found closeness, the Doctor would refuse to do anything that seemed too intimate.

They would hug and snuggle together when watching a movie. But sharing a bed which was something that had come so naturally to them before was avoided completely. It confused Rose as well as alarmed her. She wanted things to progress, not step backwards. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that they would have to talk it out. As difficult as it would be for him.

He sent her another sorry looking smile before peering into his pockets, frustration at the hidden objects reluctance to be found. Rose sat back, plucking a piece of chocolate from the egg in his lap. As she chewed on it, she caught the dark haired girl looking at her. Their eyes met for a silent moment. As she swallowed, Rose knew she was hiding something. She was too shifty.

Her eyes kept flicking to the window before coming back to her. Fingers twitched in her lap, breathing was slightly elevated and the biggest giveaway of all. She was biting and pursing her lips. Every signal was minute, something that she would have never noticed otherwise. But in a year of training in body language at Torchwood, you picked up a few things.

A distraction came in Rose's analysis however, as a siren started to pick up volume.

"Can you hear that, Doctor?" She pressed her hands against the glass, straining to hear the distant wails. They were police cars, she was sure of it. Soon enough the blue pinpoints of light in the distance confirmed it.

The Doctor shoved the half empty packet of Easter Egg into her hands, ignoring her question.

"Doctor?" Rose insisted. The dark haired woman across the aisle seemed to be getting more and more nervous. She must have caught on to her scrutiny, as she now avoided Rose's eye.

"Yeah?" He said absentmindedly, eyes lighting up as he seemingly came close to his desired object.

"Sirens! You hear them? Maybe someone's hurt?" The Doctor looked up at that, leaning over her to look out of the window. Rose huffed as she was pushed back in her seat.

"Maybe." He pulled out the device from his pocket in triumph. Rose drunk in the sight of the sapphire lights blinking wildly and the dials spinning in frenzy. She was taking more effort to recognise his little gadgets he had lately. She had some basic training in circuitry and technology, her knowledge on the subject amplified.

It made her feel better to know that she could help the Doctor with the skills she had picked up. She was less useless. She would never admit it, but the years in a parallel universe had done her some good, educated her a bit more. Made her wiser.

"Excitation..." He muttered vaguely as he observed the little machine.

"If it's detecting particles then shouldn't that little dish be moving?" Rose asked, basking in the smile he sent her.

"Exactly, it should...wait...look at it! The dish, it's going mad." Rose looked at the little silver disk and sure enough, it had started to spin wildly. A familiar sensation of dread and excitement began bubbling up inside of her.

"What does that mean though, Doctor?" His eyes found hers, gleeful with this new adventure.

"It means that you should hold on." She didn't need to be told twice. The Doctor placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hands gripped the cold metal bar in front of her as she buried her face in his neck.

"Everyone, hold on!" He called out to the other passengers on the bus. Each of them gave him a sceptical, somewhat alarmed look as they regarded him. It was evident that they had changed their minds however, when the bus started to shake violently. As the bus shuddered and jerked, Rose barely registered the cries and screams around her.

Her eyes were locked on the dark haired girl who was staring at the Doctor, an accusing glint in her eyes.

Her vision was lost however, as a blinding white light filled the bus.

* * *

Rose groaned. The first thing she was aware of was a searing heat. Her dress suddenly felt stifling and constricting instead of stylish and sexy. Immediately she regretted wearing heels. In the journey she had somehow lost her hold on the Doctor, but she could hear him sighing beside her.

"Be careful, Rose. There's glass everywhere." She felt his hand take hers, guiding her to her feet carefully. She took a moment on shaky legs, leaning against the Doctor's steady body. It didn't seem as if the journey had shaken him in the slightest. After a moment, she looked into his eyes.

"You alright?" He said, fingers tilting her head this way and that, observing for any signs of bruising or concussion no doubt. Rose gently took his hands away.

"I'm fine, Doctor." Rather unhappily, he nodded.

"Tell me if you feel any different." He insisted, and Rose gave a slow nod. It was strange, she thought. He never usually worried about her that much.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking at the different passengers collecting themselves together. She was satisfied when she saw no one had been grievously harmed. The Doctor took her hand, walking her carefully out of the bus, avoiding tarnished pieces of metal and wire sticking out from the machine.

He stopped her however, when they got to the door.

"You might want to take your shoes off." He said, a slight smile in his voice. Rose frowned and stuck her head out of the door.

Sand.

Everywhere.

"I knew I shouldn't have worn heels." She sighed, taking off each heel dutifully.

"Wear these." The Doctor pulled out a pair of flat dolly shoes. Rose took the silk things, examining the colour with a wrinkle in her nose.

"I don't think that orange is my colour." The Doctor threw her a grin, watching as she slipped them on.

"Well, it's either that or you burn yourself on the sand." Rose glanced down at the luminous shoes before looking back to the scorching sandy landscape.

"I think I'll take the sand." He waited for her to take her hand again before he ventured on outside, shoes sinking into the thick sand.

"Call it a hunch...but I think we've gone a bit further than Brixton." He muttered. Rose's eyes swept the horizon, frowning as she saw nothing that even resembled civilisation. She spun around in a slow circle as the Doctor fell to his knees. She heard the sifting of sand as he ran it through his fingers.

"It's still intact though." Rose squeezed the Doctor's shoulder as she wandered off to join the rest of the passengers.

"You're the bus driver, right?" She smiled at an older man in a blue jumper. He gave her a brief glance.

"Yeah. I was just telling them...my boss is gonna kill me." He said in disbelief. Rose followed his line of sight to the mangled top of the bus.

"I think he can give you a bit of leeway." She grinned, despite herself.

"You reckon?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." They were interrupted however, as a blonde woman in her thirties tentatively spoke.

"Can you still drive it?" Rose observed the smoking machinery and somehow doubted out.

"Nah, the wheels are stuck in too deep. We'll never get it out." The bus driver supplied for her. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see the dark haired girl heading towards the Doctor, shrugging off her jacket as she did so.

"If the bus is destroyed, why aren't we?" A young dark skinned boy directed to her. It seemed that he was almost suspicious of her calm demeanour.

"What's your name?" Rose shot back.

"Barclay. You?"

"Rose." She supplied back. He nodded back towards the destruction.

"What do you reckon then?" Rose walked around the bus, observing the twisted carcass of the machine.

"I think...it acted like a Faraday cage. Taking the brunt of it and protecting us." She finally said.

"I've heard of that. In Science class. Never really paid attention to it though...kind of wish I had now. Maybe I could figure out a way to get back if I had." Barclay sighed, squinting up at the bus in the sunlight. Rose's heart went out to his dejected look.

"Don't worry. I never liked school either. Hated it. I used to bunk all the time with my mate." He laughed with her.

"How come you know so much then?" Rose paused before giving a shrug.

"I...Spent some time away. I travelled a bit, read a few books. You don't have to go to school to learn things, Barclay." She said softly. Truth be told, she saw a bit of herself in him. Her teenage self who skived off and fooled around at the back of the classroom. All the potential she knew he had.

"Try telling that to my mum." He muttered with a smile, and Rose grinned back.

"Were you going anywhere special?" A brief look passed over the young boys face, and Rose recognised it all too well.

"I was going to see Tina."

"Girlfriend?" Rose nudged his shoulder, tongue poking through her teeth. He looked down bashfully.

"Not yet."

"Good man. I tell you what, I promise I'll get you back to her." Rose said sincerely, all traces of humour gone. Barclay smiled. His eyes left hers for a moment, roving around the area. A flash of rage sparked in them as he saw the Doctor.

"You! You had that thing, did you do this?" He demanded, walking unevenly to where he stood. The rest of the passengers followed in kind.

"What? No-" The Doctor raised his hands, glancing to Rose for help.

"What was that thing?" He demanded again.

"Hey, no! Barclay, it's fine! This is the Doctor, he's with me. He's fine." She trundled through the sand to stand by his side, hand reaching unconsciously for his.

"What was he doing then?"

"Who is he?"

"Who are you?"

The wave of questions almost deafened Rose.

"Alright! If you would like to be quiet then we'll answer all of your questions, just calm down." She said, looking at each passenger individually. She gave them all a smile as they obeyed her.

"I've got a question." An almost bored voice reached her ears, and Rose turned to face the dark haired girl she had been watching earlier. This time her eyes were hidden behind a pair of stylish sunglasses. Even through the dark glass Rose could almost feel her gaze.

"What the hell are you doing wearing those shoes?"

Rose decided almost immediately that she didn't like her.


	4. Planet Of The Dead - Part 3

"Who's this?" Rose said, voice straining for composure. The Doctor turned to look at her, mouth about to form the words. But the woman in black got there first.

"Lady Christina de Souza. And you are?" She spoke with a voice full of self indulgence. Something told Rose that this woman had not had many people say no to her before.

It may have seemed silly, but the way Christina regarded her made her feel so very small. She had had people look down on her and her less than privileged upbringing her entire life. She wasn't about to let it happen again.

"Dame Rose Tyler." She answered, just as grandly. Christina's eyebrows rose in surprise behind her glasses while Rose smirked at the Doctor's barely disguised chuckle.

"Really? Well...that's surprising. I've met many Dames in my time and you, Rose Tyler, certainly don't look like one." Rose glanced down at her attire. The black dress paired with those hideous orange shoes probably didn't help her case at all.

"And you look like a Lady do you?" The Doctor placed a hand on Rose's shoulder, steadying her body and her temper.

"We're trapped in the middle of the desert; I think we have more pressing matters than the proper attire of a Dame or Lady." He said delicately, eyeing Rose over the top of his sunglasses. She raised her eyebrows imploringly at him, sighing when he frowned back at her.

"He's right. We've got to focus." Rose said to the group of passengers who had been watching the exchange in a stunned silence.

"That still doesn't change things though. What was that thing he had?" Barclay demanded, and everyone turned expectant eyes to the Doctor.

"If you must know it detected the hole before we drove right into it. It was a tiny little hole in the fabric of reality." He said defensively, his hand finding Rose's. She squeezed it in hers, an unconscious gesture, telling him that he wasn't alone.

"There's just sand. Everywhere. I can't see anything. I don't believe it." The bus driver looked around, and Rose suddenly realised how dire the situation really was. They were alone in the desert, no food and no water. And a bus that couldn't move. There was silence for a moment before the Doctor bounded over to back end of the machine.

"Fine. If you want proof, we drove through this." He picked up a handful of sand, throwing it in front of him. As it hit the invisible barrier, the air rippled visibly, like a stone thrown in a pond. Rose stood in awe at the disturbance.

"So that's...what, a worm hole or something?" She whispered, coming to stand at the Doctor's side. He glanced at her.

"Simply put, but yes. We drove through it and it spit us out here. Wherever here is." He finished and looked around, his eyes raking through each grain of sand, trying to find something remotely like civilisation.

"You're telling me that my home is on the other side of there? London's through there?" The bus driver strode forwards, yearning in his eyes. The Doctor however, looked less hopeful.

"Sort of. But the bus-"

"What are we waiting for?" The older man cried out, focus determinedly locked on the now invisible door in front of them. As he started to move towards it, Rose's eyes flicked up towards the machine. If that had happened to a strong cage of metal, then she didn't want to know what would happen to a frail human body.

"Wait, stop!" Rose lurched after him and cried out as she felt a hand on her collar, firmly yanking her backwards. She fell into the sand with a grunt, cheek scraping painfully against the scorching floor. As she lifted her head, Rose saw the man disappear into the hole, the ripples the only evidence he was ever there.

A silence followed.

Struggling to her feet, Rose looked around to see the Doctor staring solemnly at her. She looked at him incredulously, eyes wide and full of disbelief.

"Why did you do that? I could have saved him-"

"You also could have died." He said sharply. Rose's mouth opened and closed, not finding the words to speak to him.

"No I wouldn't have. I could have pulled him back before we even got near it-"

"It was still a risk." Everything he said to her was so simple. Yet she still couldn't understand.

"He died, Doctor. That man died. And I could have saved him...and you stopped me." She whispered. Her Doctor would have never done this. The very idea that he would have let someone die like that...

"He was just...bones...I can't..." Barclay stumbled back as he sat in the sand. This was a boy very much out of his depth. As the other passengers mumbled amongst themselves, the Doctor still continued to hold Rose's eye. The silence was thick with Rose's unspoken outrage and the Doctor's unashamed stance. It seemed to be the chance that Christina had been waiting to grasp.

"Everyone do exactly as I say and get in the bus immediately. We can discuss our options in there." Christina announced grandly, smiling as everyone did as she said. It seemed that she was more than happy to take on the role as the leader.

"Is it safe in there?" Rose heard a voice question softly a little way behind her.

"Oh, I don't think anything's _safe_ anymore." Christina smiled. She offered some more instructions to the passengers, only stopping when she noticed the Doctor and Rose still staring heatedly at one another.

"That means you two as well. Get inside the bus."

"Give us a minute." The Doctor said quietly, and Christina shrugged, walking into the bus with barely a glance over her shoulder.

Quite suddenly it was just the two of them, standing under a scorching sun in a silent desert.

"I can't afford to lose you again, Rose. And I will take whatever measures I can to keep you by my side." Rose frowned at him. Half of the emotion in his face was lost behind the dark frames perched on his nose. It made him seem a little more powerful. A little more intimidating.

"Doctor, I risk my life everyday with you. It's a part of what I do. What we do." She stated. The Doctor sniffed and looked away from her, gazing out across the sand dunes.

"Not anymore. I want you to spend the rest of your life with me. And I need it to be a very long life." Rose was caught between folding him into a hug and slapping him back into his senses. Suddenly a thought occurred to her.

"Is that why we haven't been to the sort of places that we used to?" She demanded, the pieces of the puzzle locking together. And still he avoided her eyes.

"I don't know what you mean-"

"Yes you do! You know exactly what I'm talking about, Doctor. Everywhere we've been is nowhere near as dangerous as it used to be. Nowhere near. " Rose walked up to him, until their noses almost touched.

He remained silent.

"You need to talk to me, Doctor. I can't keep filling in the blanks for myself." At that proximity she could hear him swallow.

"I..." He stopped, glancing down at his shoes. Rose reached up and gently plucked the glasses from the bridge of his nose. That was better. She could see his eyes...and in doing so she could see how very scared he was.

"If I lose you again, Rose...I don't know how I'll cope. I couldn't cope. I couldn't-"

"Hush." Rose buried her face in his neck, sighing as he brought his arms around her, squeezing her as if she would fly away.

"You can't wrap me in cotton wool, Doctor." Her words were muffled in the material of his suit.

"I know...but I need to keep you safe, Rose. Pulling you back was a reflex. Would you have let me go anywhere near that thing? Knowing what it would do?" He pulled back to look at her, and under the scrutiny of his gaze, she couldn't lie to him.

"I...well, no." She finally relented. The Doctor stroked her cheek briefly.

"I'm sorry that that man died. So very sorry. But if it was a choice between him and you, I would pick you." Rose stared at him wide eyed. He said it completely without shame, and a dark stirring in her stomach told her that it was a dangerous way for the Doctor to be thinking. He must have mistaken the look on her face for confusion as he continued.

"Do you remember when we were in Downing Street, years ago when I had my old body?" He waited for her to nod.

"Yeah, I do." Rose answered, a fondness leaking into her voice at the memory.

"I said that I could save the world but lose you. And I did it, knowing that I could lose you. I could never do that now. If it was between the world and you...I would pick you." Rose broke the embrace, walking backwards away from him.

"Doctor, that's...that's ridiculous...that's mad, you can't ever choose me if something like that happens. Ever. It's always the world." He observed her panicked face for a moment before shaking his head slowly.

"No. It's always you."

"You're going mad, you know that?" He laughed, bowing his head as he did so.

"Yeah, I know." The spinning in Rose's mind was stopped as Christina poked her head out of the bus.

"Can you two hurry up? We are only stuck out in the middle of the desert, I know, but it's pretty important that we discuss it." She said in a monotone voice. The Doctor reached for Rose's hand, pulling her closer as he did so. As they walked towards the bus, Rose couldn't help but think that this new attitude the Doctor had grasped was a little more than dangerous.


	5. Planet Of The Dead - Part 4

Rose tried for the hundredth time to stop her eyes from rolling towards the ceiling. Christina had taken on the role of the leader in the group.

It seemed that she insisted upon talking every living second.

"Point 6 is team identification. Names. I'm Christina, and this apparently is the Doctor." She gestured to the man in question who was currently sitting with Rose in a seat nearer the back of the bus. His feet were propped on the chair in front of him, head lolling on her shoulder.

"Hello." He grinned enthusiastically to the other occupants of the bus, and Rose flicked him on the forehead with a smile. Christina raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"And this is Rose. Say hello, Rose." The Doctor added, craning his head around to look at the girl in question. She shoved his shoulder, muttering something about his stupidity. However, the beaming smile she had on her face told everyone that she didn't really mind.

"Hello." She finally said at the Doctor's prodding. Glancing at him, Rose couldn't help but wonder at the many sides this man seemed to possess. Even after knowing him all this time she still found it strange to know that he could flit from one mood to the next. Just a few minutes ago it seemed as if he was losing his mind, a dark air falling across his face. Now he was grinning and playing like he was on a sugar trip.

It was endearing. But that didn't stop it from being frightening.

Christina's sigh brought her back into the present as she looked expectantly at a young boy nearer the front. He had messy brown hair and a worn look upon his face.

"Nathan. I'm Nathan." She turned to the next person.

"Barclay." He said with a smile to Rose. The blonde woman at the front turned to everyone with a hesitant smile upon her face.

"Angela. Angela Whittaker." The Doctor waved at her, and Rose couldn't help but scoff at his look of pride as she blushed. He was prone to flirting this Doctor of hers.

"My name is Louie, but everyone calls me Lou. And this is Carmen." Both the Doctor and Rose turned, observing the couple. Neither of them had paid much attention to them before, it seemed that they had stayed inside while everyone else had gone exploring. Rose cocked her head to one side as she watched them. They gave off an almost warm air, it was comforting. She decided immediately that she quite liked them.

"Excellent. Memorise those names, there might be a test." Christina smiled to everyone, and Rose sank further into her seat. She wasn't used to taking the back seat and letting someone else give the orders...Well, except when it came to the Doctor. But even then she was of some use.

Going from commanding your own team at Torchwood to letting some aristocrat boss you around was something that didn't sit well with Rose.

"Over to you, the Doctor." Rose snapped back into the scene, suddenly aware that the entire bus full of people was looking at them both.

"I thought you were in charge?" The Doctor seemed almost put out that control was being passed to him. It was as if Christina's actions had been amusing him.

"Oh, I am. And a good leader utilises her team's skills. You seem to be the brain box. So...start boxing." She said delicately, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Rose frowned. She had seen that look directed to the Doctor before. She was flirting. Her dislike for the Lady deepened further.

The Doctor grabbed onto a pole, hauling himself up to sit on the bar of the seat. At this height Rose's head was at his knees, and she absently noticed the trousers fraying in a few spots around the bottom.

"Right then...This wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was an accident." A heavily accented voice interrupted him.

"No...That thing, the...the doorway. Someone made it. For a reason." Rose watched as Lou gripped Carmen's hand. The words seemed to spill from her before she could even think.

"What makes you say that, Carmen?" Rose moved closer to her, kneeling on the seat in front of them. Lou paused before he spoke.

"She's got a gift. Ever since she was little she can just...tell things." The pride in his voice was evident, the glow it gave off made Rose smile.

"Like...psychic stuff?" She grinned.

"We do the lottery twice a week." Lou nodded enthusiastically. He and Carmen reminded her of this old couple that used to live on the floor below her on the estate. She used to run to the shop for them sometimes.

"Well, you don't look like millionaires." Christina said cynically, and Rose sent a sharp look her way.

"No, we only win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift."

"Don't know about everyone else but I could always do with an extra twenty quid a week." Rose grinned at the couple, ignoring Christina's outburst. The Doctor sent a small smile to her back before speaking.

"How many fingers am I holding up, Carmen?" The woman looked to him, brow twitching in concentration.

"Three." The Doctor's eyebrows rose. Rose craned her head to see him flick one more finger up behind his back.

"Four."

"Oh, very good. Low level psychic abilities. Exacerbated by an alien sun...tell me, what can you see?"

"Something's coming. Riding on the wind. And shining." Rose leaned forwards, gripping Carmen's hand. She looked terrified.

"What is it?" Rose whispered.

A monstrous silence engulfed the carcass of the bus, the air thick with its unsettling nature.

"Death. Death is coming." She swallowed hard, suddenly finding it a bit more difficult to breath. Immediately the whole bus erupted into a panicked chorus, the cries rising and falling like a poorly orchestrated opera.

The Doctor tried, unsuccessfully, to quieten everyone down. Barclay tugged at her arm, eyes imploring her to say something, anything to prove that it wasn't true.

"Stop it!" Rose said to the bus, her hand finding Barclay's. As the occupants started to quieten, a soft sobbing pervaded the air. The Doctor found the source quickly, kneeling in front of Angela.

"Listen to me, Angela. Just answer me one thing. When you got on this bus, where were you going?" Rose couldn't stop a soft smile falling across her face. She loved the Doctor like this. Soft and gentle and ever so compassionate. It made her heart skip a beat.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" The woman whispered.

"Just answer the question."

"I was going home." Rose began to see where he was going with this.

"What's home?"

"Me, and Mike. And Suzanne, that's my daughter. She's 18."

"Suzanne. That's good." Rose was vaguely aware of the Doctor talking to the rest of the passengers. But her mind had wandered over into a parallel universe.

Looking at Angela she was reminded of her own mother. Seeing her pain at being separated from her daughter made her think. She knew that Jackie would miss her, of course she did. But the thought that it was like Angela's pain...This all consuming sobbing heartbreak...It filled Rose's heart with a heavy guilt. Her eyes started to sting.

"Chops and gravy." The Doctor said, longing tingeing his voice. He brought Rose back into the present as he elbowed her.

"I think you need to give Rose the recipe, Lou. I could do with some home cooked chops." Rose ducked her head, feigning a small laugh as quickly wiped her tears away.

"What about you, Christina?" She made to speak, before it looked like she thought better of it.

"I was going...just far away." A forlorn look crossed her face as she looked down.

The Doctor continued to talk, and the more he spoke the heavier Rose's heart grew.

"Food and home and people. Just think of them. Think of getting back to them. And I'll get you there, I promise." All of that, it made her think. She would never give up travelling with the Doctor. She loved he life and she loved him even more. It was near impossible sometimes she thought, how very much she did love him.

But sooner or later she would be too old. Too old to travel, too old to run with him. Too old to hold his hand. And when that day came, what did she have to go home to?

She had no food, no home, no people waiting.

Just the Doctor.

And that was brilliant, completely and utterly fantastic. But when she had to leave him, to spare him the sight of her withering and dying...she would be alone.

It was only when she tasted the metal tang of blood that she realised she had bitten through the skin of her lips.

"And I've got the plan to get you there. Come on! Everyone out." The Doctor bounded up with enthusiasm, and Christina gripped his arm talking quickly and quietly to him. Rose could only guess that they were talking about the plan.

"Are you alright." Angela hesitated as she stood up, glancing down at her.

"Yeah...I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in you know?" Rose grinned, cursing herself at the shaking voice she gave out. Angela frowned, sitting back down.

"You've got your Doctor man. You two seemed pretty put together before. What's changed in two minutes?" Rose looked up into her kind face. She almost radiated a maternal instinct, and Rose bathed in it.

"I just...all this talk about home and family. Makes me miss mine, you know." She said tightly. It was unlike her to speak to a complete stranger and reveal her life story. But something inside Rose told her that she needed to do it. Angela smiled and placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Your Doctor's going to get us back though isn't he? You can see them then." Rose swallowed a sob.

"Nah, I can't. They're um...they're gone."

"You're alone?"

"No. No, I'm not. I've got the Doctor. But I just miss them sometimes, you know?" Angela gave her a sympathetic smile, encasing her in a hug. Rose accepted it gratefully, hands coming to rest against the older woman's back. After a moment she sniffed, breaking the embrace.

"Thank you." She sighed, laughing when Angela handed her a tissue.

"You remind me of my daughter you know. You have the same hair."

"What? She's a bottle blonde as well?" The Doctor came bounding back on the bus to see the two women laughing.

"Rose? Are you alright?" He quickly slipped into the seat beside her, observing her watering eyes and red nose.

"I'm fine. Just got sand in my eye is all." She mumbled as dabbed her tears away with the tissue. He didn't look like he believed her in the slightest. But in lieu of more pressing matters he let it slide.

"Alright...if you say so. But come on, we have to start breaking down these seats!" He jumped up, running his hands over one of the chairs, presumably trying to find a joint that could easily be unhinged.

"Why?" Rose stood with him, shoving the tissue down her bra. The Doctor paused to grin at her, chocolate eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"I have a plan."

* * *

Rose had spent a moment on the bus composing herself before she went outside. The sight that greeted her was less than amusing. Barclay was grunting, elbow deep in the dirty engine of the bus. Nathan ran around trying to hack away parts of the seats. She could hear Angela talking from the driver's seat near the front. But the sight that wounded her most was the Doctor walking away, Christina on his heels.

"I...Where's he going?" Rose called out to no one in particular, hand shielding her eyes against the sun. Nathan looked up from his work.

"He didn't say much. Just said that he was going to look around."

"Doctor?" Rose cried out, voice carrying across the dunes. Evidently not going far enough as he didn't seem to hear.

"Are you alright?" Nathan said, brow creased with concern. That question had seemed to be plaguing her all day.

"He left me! He...why did he leave me?" Rose whispered, heart thudding in her ears. This was just like it was with Reinette. The Doctor running off with someone smarter and prettier, leaving her behind. It made her feel sick. Nathan let his axe drop with a muffled thump in the sand.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." The boy said somewhat awkwardly, hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I know he will. He's trying to protect me. That's exactly what he's doing." Rose bit out venomously, frustration making her hands shake.

"What do you mean?"

"He knows whatever is out there is dangerous and he's stopping me from going. He's such an _idiot_!" Rose growled again and this time Nathan placed a hand against her arm.

"If he's trying to protect you then he's just trying to do the right thing. Right?" He offered. Rose groaned, resting her head against his shoulder. Nathan awkwardly patted her back.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. Come on, I'll help you hack this thing to pieces." She painted a smile on her face, walking over to the dismantled chair. Nathan offered her an unconvinced look, but nonetheless followed her. They worked in silence for a moment.

"I just don't understand why he would take _her_ and not me." Rose mumbled finally, ripping a seat cover from the frame. Nathan hesitated for a moment, a fierce blush overtaking his face in the scorching sun.

"You don't have to worry. You're much prettier than she is." Rose paused before bursting into laughter, her heart glowing when Nathan joined her.

* * *

"So, you left Rose behind nicely I see?" Christina said as the Doctor strode beside her across the sand. He sniffed, refusing to look at her. The bus was just a crimson pinprick in the distance now, barely visible through the amber sunlight. The Doctor focused on the clear horizon in front of him.

"I have no idea what you mean." Christina gave him an amused yet somewhat scornful look.

"I can read people better than you think. You left her behind pretty quickly. Why?"

"The question is, Christina, what you were doing on that bus. And not to mention what you're doing with a shovel and an axe in your bag." Christina shook her head, heavy dark fringe falling into her eyes.

"Don't even try that whole subject diversion thing with me. It won't work with me." The Doctor huffed.

"I should have left you behind and all."

"Ah, so you admit you left her behind?" Christina beamed. The Doctor stopped, sinking softly into the sand.

"You are persistent aren't you?"

"Completely." Christina winked as the Doctor began walking again, striding ahead of her.

"I just thought it would be better for her to stay back there. Safer." He said after a minute or two of silence. Christina scoffed.

"What? The Dame too precious to walk a mile in the sand?" She recoiled however, at the blackness that overtook his chocolate irises.

"I lost her once before, Christina. I'll be damned if I lose her again. She's staying back there where she's safe. End of." The Doctor said it with a note of finality, clearly ending the conversation. But as he had gathered, Christina was not one to be discouraged.

"What are you afraid of, Doctor? Especially here in the desert? Scared she's going to be eaten by the big bad wolf?" A pain gripped her arm, and looking down she saw the Doctor's slim fingers clutching at her skin.

"What did you say?" He said, face deadly as poison. The sun cast a shadow across his strong features, creating the illusion that he was a different person altogether. Someone darker was standing before her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Christina wrenched her arm away. As he lost the grip on her arm, he turned his head away. The shadow was lost.

"Sorry. Sorry. I just...I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Alright. Just don't do it again." She said, smiling in encouragement as he started to walk again.

"There's something about you, Doctor. You and your Dame, both of you are quite the mystery."

"As you are to me." The Doctor replied vaguely. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Christina talking. But the vision in front of him began to cloud his senses. After a moment, she followed his gaze.

"Is that a sand storm?" She whispered, almost in awe at the haze in the distance.

"It's a storm alright. Come on, we need to get back."

* * *

Nathan and Rose laughed as she gave him another anecdote about her time on the Powell estates. She found that she was starting to really enjoy the company that she found herself in.

Angela was the definite mother of the group, fussing over Barclay as he burnt his finger on the bus's engine. Nathan was a bit of a quiet boy, but Rose had soon brought him out of his shell. And he was smart. Very smart.

The biggest surprise however, was when she found out that Barclay had dated a girl two doors down from where she used to live. They could have passed each other on the estate and never known the connection they would have in the future. It sent a shiver down her spine.

"You got a boyfriend, Rose?" Nathan suddenly asked quietly. She looked up, hands slowly dropping from the seat.

"I...well...no." He nodded, focusing on the metal he was trying to dismantle. In her peripheral vision she could see Angela send a conspiratorial smile to Barclay as she question.

"Why do you ask?" She whispered. When she would think back on it on a later date, she would realise that what she was doing was unfair. Leading the poor boy on when she knew he had no chance when the Doctor was around. She was only doing it because of the rage boiling in her blood at being left behind.

After all, if the Doctor had Christina then why couldn't she have Nathan?

"I um...no reason. Just wondering." He muttered, avoiding her gaze. Rose smiled, looking back down to the objects in her lap.

"Fair enough." She said with good humour.

"The Doctor." Barclay called out to Rose, and she looked up, anger in her eyes.

"What about him?" Barclay pointed to the distant dunes, and Rose followed his line of sight. Sure enough, there was the Doctor and Christina, walking hurriedly together towards the bus. Rose determinedly looked down, ignoring his presence.

"Rose, I need your phone!" He cried out as he reached her. She frowned at his demanding tone, but nonetheless slid a hand down her bra, fishing for her phone. She pointedly ignored his surprised glance.

To be fair to her, when you had no pockets on a dress you had to find other places to store things. She caught Nathan's stare as she did so and winked at him. A satisfaction filled her as the Doctor's eyes flitted between the two of them. Finally she placed the phone in his palm.

"Everyone, a bit of hush please." He cried out as he bounced back onto the bus. Nathan on the other hand, wandered over to the wheels and started to dig the sand away from them. Rose joined him.

"You not gonna go with the Doctor then?" He said as he shovelled. Rose sighed and placed her head against the bus behind her, wincing at the hot metal.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I'm mad at him. Not just regular mad but I am fuming." She said, a deadly tone seeping into her voice.

"He comes bounding back over here with not even a sorry! Nah, I'm gonna wait until he comes to me...Or until we have to run for our lives. Which knowing him won't be too far in the future." Nathan chuckled.

"Typical woman." Rose gaped, a disbelieving laugh escaping her. She smacked him on the shoulder.

"You're terrible." She sighed, watching him dig the sand away. She could hear the Doctor's voice floating out of the metal carcass, taunting her. The frustration at everything he had been doing as of late was getting to her. She was being petty and she realised that. It still didn't stop the satisfaction she felt at her actions.

Plus it seemed that him and Christina had everything under control. They had worked out a plan without any input from her and they seemed content to explore together.

Rose and Nathan spent a little while more in a companionable silence.

Almost in a blink of an eye the Doctor and Christina left the bus once more, striding towards the horizon. Rose's breath became laboured as they didn't even spare her a glance.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you!" She called out, rising to her feet. He stopped.

"Stay here, Rose. You need to organise everyone." She frowned at him.

"Doctor, what's wrong? Why can't I-"

"Just stay here, Rose. I'll be back soon." The Doctor snapped, and Rose physically stumbled back at the authority in his voice. Never had he spoken to her like that before. A look of regret flashed across his face, but was gone before Rose could even register it properly. He turned away and walked on, Christina hot on his heels.

Nathan noticed the tension surrounding them. How could he not?

"Don't get worked up over it, Rose. He's doing what he thinks is best."

"By pushing me away again? He can't do this to me, I'm not 19 anymore! I'm grown up enough to make my own decisions!" Nathan sighed, throwing the shovel down.

"If he's protecting you, like you said...Then he's doing it because he loves you."

"Then he should talk to me! What's the point of me travelling with him if he keeps me locked away when danger happens to pass by?" Rose thumped a hand against the side of the bus, trying to exert her anger on something other than the Doctor. She groaned as she hurt her knuckles.

"Careful. Just take a deep breath." Nathan cradled her hand for her, examining the flesh. Both of them knew that she hadn't really hurt herself that badly. But neither of them protested at the contact.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Angela's mournful cry from the front of the bus snapped the both back into the present. Her legs moved almost of their own accord, running to the source of the problem.

"What's wrong, Angela? Tell me, what's wrong?" She looked to the older woman who looked close to the verge of tears.

"The bus. We've run out of petrol. Even if we fix it, it'll never move anywhere."

The blood faded from Rose's face.


End file.
